Tyler Goodson of "S-Town" podcast accused of animal cruelty

Editor’s note: This story contains spoilers to the podcast “S-Town,” which was released March 28.

Tyler Goodson, the Bibb County resident featured in the popular "S-Town" podcast, has been accused of shooting his brother's dog and is in jail.

Goodson, 26, has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and reckless endangerment for an incident where he allegedly killed a dog back in April, according to court records. Officers with the Woodstock Police Department arrested Goodson late Tuesday afternoon. He is now being held at the Bibb County Jail with no bond being set as of Wednesday afternoon.

According to Bryan Jones, assistant district attorney for the 4th Judicial Circuit, Goodson and his brother, Jake, were in the middle of an argument on April 5 when Tyler Goodson shot a dog that Jake was holding by the collar. According to court records, Tyler Goodson shot the dog in the head.

On Tuesday afternoon, Jones filed a motion asking Circuit Judge Don McMillan to revoke Tyler Goodson's bond on outstanding charges of possession of a forged instrument, burglary and criminal trespassing. Previously, Tyler Goodson had been out on bond in a case involving the property of John B. McLemore, the central figure of "S-Town." Goodson is charged with stealing things off the property after McLemore's death in 2015.

Jones said he had heard about the allegations of animal cruelty Tuesday after speaking with a police officer at the Woodstock Police Department. Jones said that initially, the department was only going to file misdemeanor charges against Tyler Goodson, but could not get Jake Goodson to come to the department to sign the warrant.

After looking into the case further, the department decided to upgrade the charges to felony status, moving from animal cruelty to aggravated animal cruelty, primarily because of the manner the dog died.

“I filed a motion once I found out about the incident,” Jones said.

Despite not having read the police report in its entirety Wednesday, Jones felt there was enough to file a motion to have Tyler Goodson’s bond revoked, arguing that Jake's proximity to the dog when Tyler Goodson allegedly shot it put him in danger.

“According to the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure, the reason that a person is given a bond is to secure his presence at trial and court, but it’s also to protect law abiding citizens,” Jones said. “He (Tyler Goodson) has this case over his head and he’s still committing crimes.”

Tyler Goodson became well-known after the podcast brought worldwide attention to the small Bibb County town of Woodstock. The podcast chronicles the life of McLemore, those close to him and the town.

Jones, who is prosecuting Tyler Goodson' case, used “S-Town” to add a number of charges to the case and has plans to use it in court. Since its release on March 28, “S-Town” has been one of the most popular podcasts online, having been downloaded 10 million times four days after it launched. As of May, “S-Town” has been downloaded more than 40 million times.

Jake Goodson declined to speak to The Tuscaloosa News. "S-Town" creator Brian Reed also declined to discuss the case.